“As we shift our focus toward long-term recovery, I want to express my appreciation and my heartfelt thanks to the volunteers and organizations that stepped up in a time of need to stand with their neighbours and communities,” Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said in a news release Thursday.

This year’s wildfires surpassed 2017’s devastating season for hectares burned, at more than 1.4 million hectares burned.

There are still an estimated 372 active wildfires burning across the province.